Schools turn a deaf ear to junk food advisories

Serving junk food to children right from primary section up to higher classes

• What CBSE says
• The CBSE not only asks schools to shun junk food but to hold seminars/ discussions to make students aware of the ill-effects of junk food. Besides, they have asked schools to engage nutritionists to tell students and parents about the importance of nutritious food. Sadly, the instructions are not being followed by a majority of schools.
• Officialspeak
• We will ask the District Education Officer to keep a tab on canteens serving such food and at least start an awareness drive to say no to junk food.— Ravi Bhagat,Deputy Commissioner

Ludhiana, August 6
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has been repeatedly issuing circulars for shunning junk food since 2008, but most of the school managements here fail to pay any heed it seems.
In the absence of any nodal agency to keep a check on canteens serving food high in fat/ salt/ sugar or fast/ junk food, schools are openly selling these in canteens.
Most of the schools in the city are serving junk food to children right from primary section up to higher classes. The food being served by contractors in canteens include burgers, pizzas, pasta, noodles, Manchurian, chilly cheese apart from other eatables such as samosa, bread pakora and hot-dogs.
Barring 6-8 schools in the city, almost all other schools are yet to take a decision over the issue.
A teacher at a leading school here said so far the canteen served junk and Chinese food at their school, but since another circular had not come from the CBSE, the school management was thinking of convening a meeting to take a decision regarding this issue.
“Junk food — be it pizza or burgers — develops fungus easily, especially in this weather, and it can prove fatal for tender stomachs of kids. If the CBSE has issued such a circular, we must adhere to the instructions,” a teacher said.
The CBSE has even said that food high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS), including chips, fried food and carbonated beverages, chocolate and candies, should not be served at schools.
Nankana Public School Principal Harmit Kaur said: “After getting a circular from the CBSE, the school closed its canteen in May end. It is better to take preventive measures than going for precautions. In monsoon season, even the food cooked at home gets stale after a few hours. We cannot keep an eye on the contractor all time. Hence, we decided to close the canteen. Now, children bring fruits or home-cooked food and we are relieved.”
Parents said they were not aware of such guidelines by the CBSE as their wards took money from them to have food at school canteen.
“My son takes Rs 20-30 everyday to school to buy junk food, which he finds very tasty and tempting. Since he is in Class X, he finds it awkward to take food from home. But we are satisfied that he eats something at least,” a parent said.
Child rights protection panel seeks self-declaration certificate from all schools
Even the Punjab State Child Rights Protection Commission had taken a serious note of sale of junk food at private schools. Punjab State Child Rights Protection Commission chairman Sukesh Kalia had directed Secretary, Punjab School Education Board and DPI (Primary and Secondary) to take a self-declaration certificate from all schools mentioning that they would not allow serving or sale of junk food on their premises (in July itself).
Kalia said: "The consumption of junk food among children leads to serious implications towards a child's health. That is why there is an increasing need to check this trend among children. The Food Safety and Standard Authority of India has already issued some guidelines to schools, which should be followed. But hardly any fruitful result has come out."

FSSAI to allow up to 5 per cent vegetable fats in chocolates

Currently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) allows use of cocoa butter in chocolates and not vegetable fats, whereas international food standards authority Codex permits 5 per cent vegetable fats.

Food safety regulator FSSAI has decided to allow up to 5 per cent vegetable fats and artificial sweetener Isomaltulose in chocolates, a move likely to benefit importers. Currently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) allows use of cocoa butter in chocolates and not vegetable fats, whereas international food standards authority Codex permits 5 per cent vegetable fats. Import and sale of chocolates containing vegetable fats are not allowed in India. The food safety regulator has come out with the draft amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2016 and sought public views on the same within 30 days.

As per the proposed amendments, the FSSAI has allowed use of vegetable fats up to 5 per cent other than cocoa butter in chocolates. It has also proposed the use of artificial sweetener Isomaltulose maximum at 50 per cent of the total sugar without adversely affecting the stability of the product. “The addition of vegetable fats other than cocoa butter shall not exceed 5 per cent of the finished product, after deduction of the total weight of any other added edible foodstuffs, without reducing the minimum contents of cocoa materials,” as per the draft amendments.

The regulator said these two additional ingredients should be mentioned on labels as per the FSSAI (Packaging & Labelling) Regulations, 2011. Experts said the use of vegetable fats in chocolates has been a bone of contention in imported chocolates as number of companies had their consignments withheld at the ports because of non-compliance of Indian standards for chocolates. They said though import and sale of chocolates containing vegetable fats are not allowed in India, some brands are selling them without using the term ‘chocolate’ on the packaging.